The Complete Thunderbirds Collection is also available in a region FREE, 6 Blu-ray disc set:

Review by Gary Tooze

Production:

Disc:

Video (same):

Audio:

Thunderbirds Are GO:

DTS-HD Master Audio English 1559 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1559 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit)
DTS-HD Master Audio English 1865 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1865 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit)
Commentaries:

Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps
Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps

Thunderbird 6:

DTS-HD Master Audio English 3807 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3807 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
DTS-HD Master Audio English 1095 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1095 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 1.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit / DN -1dB)
Commentary:

DTS Audio English 256 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 256 kbps / 24-bit
Isolated Score:

DTS-HD Master Audio English 1764 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1764 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)

DTS-HD Master Audio English 1556 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1556 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit)
DTS-HD Master Audio English 1925 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1925 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit)
Commentaries:

Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps
Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps

Subtitles (same):

• English (SDH), None

Extras:

Thunderbirds Are GO:

• Isolated Score Track

***

THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO: Blast off into interplanetary adventure with the first feature-length film starring the International Rescue team: millionaire ex-astronaut Jeff Tracy, his five stalwart sons, the fabulous secret agent Lady Penelope and, of course, their incredibly futuristic fleet of Thunderbird rescue ships!

THUNDERBIRD 6: The Tracy team is back in action in another riveting adventure! This time it will take all of their combined effort - and the cunning wit of their colleague Lady Penelope - to defeat an international ring of terrorists, who've targeted International Rescue for destruction! (Brilliant! Decades Ahead of Its Time) Entertainment Weekly.

 

 

 

The Film:

Image :    NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

Firstly, this Twilight Time Blu-ray package offers the two Thunderbird Feature films: Thunderbirds Are GO and Thunderbird 6. They share a lone Blu-ray disc and have similar bitrates looking very similar. This is dual-layered with a modest bitrate but looks quite impressive at times. The colors can be very vibrant, bordering on saturation, and every visuals detail of the high resolution only adds to the art direction. This is definitely the best way to watch Thunderbirds. There is pleasing detail exported, but not a lot of depth. No damage or speckles are visible. The visuals are bright and I noted no noise. The Blu-ray image looks great through most of the presentation with no major flaws. Highly appealing video.

The Kino video quality is exactly the same - see the bitrate graphs. The only difference is that they have, unnecessarily, divided the two single-layered transfers onto two separate discs as opposed to being on one dual-layered Blu-ray (like the Twilight Time). However, the image is as virtually identical as we can determine.

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

Thunderbirds Are GO:

1) Twilight Time - Region FREE - Blu-ray TOP 2) Kino - Region 'A'  - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thunderbird 6:

1) Twilight Time - Region FREE - Blu-ray TOP 2) Kino - Region 'A'  - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Both features offer a DTS-HD Master 5.1 bump at around 3500 kbps and an original mono in a DTS-HD Master at 1071 kbps. The surround has only a few impressive separations, but it tends to work with the presentation adding another layer of 'atmosphere'. The lossless is consistent - notable in the score by Barry Gray. This adds quite a bit to the presentation and being uncompressed helps support the presentation at a higher level. There are optional English subtitles and my Oppo has identified it as being a region FREE.

Kino also offers both a surround bump or original mono in DTS-HD Masters transfers but they are in 16-bit as opposed to Twilight Time's more robust 24-bit. It' not an unforgivable difference but it is a difference. Kino also offers optional English subtitles (slightly different - smaller font - see compared samples above.) The two Kino Blu-rays are Region 'A'-locked.

Extras :

Along with the Thunderbirds Are GO feature are an optional Isolated Score Track, plus two audio commentaries. The first with film historians Jeff Bond and Nick Redman and the second, a lighter affair, with producer Sylvia Anderson and director David Lane. Excitement Is Go! - is a 22-minute making of Thunderbirds which shows some archival stills in the background and brief interviews. Cliff Richard & The Shadows - Unseen Test Footage is 17-minutes of the group - previous thought lost but recovered in 2013. There are some standard featurettes abourt production - History and Appeal running 10-minutes, Factory of Dolls and Rockets - 9-minutes, 8-minutes of Epics in Miniature - then there is a photo montage and some brief snippets from Sylvia Anderson regarding 'rushes' and what 'F.A.B.' means. There is also an original theatrical trailer.

Accessible from the Thunderbird 6 menus is another Isolated Score Track in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and Sylvia Anderson and David Lane do another enjoyable commentary. The featurettes involve Lady Penelope (9:51), Building Better Puppets (8:10), Tiger Moth (6:20), then another photo montage and Sylvia Anderson briefly commenting on 'A Call from Stanley Kubrick' and a 'Television Tribute'. Lastly is another original theatrical trailer. This package also has 8-pages of liner notes with photos plus some text by Julie Kirgo.

Same commentaries and most of the same featurettes as the Twilight Time. The Kino is missing the 23-minute Excitement Is Go! - Making Thunderbirds and the 17-minutes of Cliff Richard & The Shadows - Unseen Test Footage, a 'Call from Stanley Kubrick' and the Television Tribute. Twilight Time has the liner notes, Kino has a leaflet advertising some of their Blu-rays.

Twilight Time - Region FREE - Blu-ray

 

 

 

Kino - Region 'A'  - Blu-ray

 

 

 

BOTTOM LINE:
Quite the incredible package from Twilight Time. I know Thunderbirds have a huge following and I can see this going out of print very quickly and then fetching big bucks in auctions (like most from this distributor - it is limited to 3,000 units). There is an intangible appeal about the puppetry. It offers some heavy kitsch and the art direction is always interesting. The, phenomenally stacked Blu-ray has so much, even aside from the 3 hours of 2 Thunderbird features. This is very cool, nostalgic stuff and can certainly recommend to anyone, even remotely, keen.

 

The Kino is a notch below (two single-layered discs as opposed to one dual-layered, less robust audio, missing a few extras) - but, for many, not a significant one. It's advantage is the price - which is quite reasonable. Of course, serious Thunderbirds aficionados will opt for the complete 6-disc Blu-ray collection. Still so unique and cool after all these years.  

Gary Tooze

May 26th, 2014

June 22nd, 2017

The Complete Thunderbirds Collection is also available in a 6 Blu-ray disc, region FREE, set: